On the worn steps of Mount Tai, a popular pilgrimage and tourist destination in eastern China, some visitors now hire companions to walk with them, carry belongings and take photos for a fee. What began as informal help among friends has been organised into a range of paid services - from running partners and sightseeing escorts to people who join clients at hotpot restaurants, a meal traditionally consumed with friends.
These services are often marketed by students and young gig workers on social media platforms, where they promise both practical assistance and what they describe as "emotional value" and conversation. While there is no single official tally of the market, state media have cited estimates that place the companionship economy at around 500 billion yuan ($74 billion) in 2025.
Analysts and commentators point to broader social and economic shifts underlying this development. As young adults move and work farther from established family networks, cope with longer working hours and find it harder to maintain traditional social ties, demand has grown for paid interactions that reduce the uncertainty and effort of forming social connections. At the same time, sustained youth unemployment has coincided with greater use of gig and flexible work, as university graduates and job-seekers turn to platform-based roles such as delivery and ride-hailing when stable employment is not available. Official figures indicate there are more than 200 million so-called flexible workers in China.
Entrepreneurs and gig operators are responding to demand with a spectrum of services and business models. After leaving the army in 2022, Chen Wenxin launched a company focused on providing hiking companions in Shandong province. "I have always been a hiker and have a lot of hiking experience," Chen said, describing how he saw an opening in the market and moved to exploit it. His workforce has grown from fewer than 10 people to about 370. He said the company charges 800 yuan ($116) for daytime climbs on Mount Tai.
Psychological and social explanations for the appeal of paid companionship are also cited by practitioners. Psychotherapist Sami Wong, managing director of research firm 3Drips Psychology, said the attraction of hiring companions is partly due to the predictability and control such services offer in a social landscape that otherwise requires significant emotional labour. "Meeting people requires emotional labour and investment," Wong said, adding that the process can be fraught with uncertainty and anxiety. "The outcome is very uncertain," she said. Paying for a companion, Wong added, can eliminate the risk of rejection: "When you pay for this service you always get a 'yes'."
For many young providers, these gigs are a source of supplemental income. Tang Junxing, a 24-year-old university junior in Guilin, said he started taking on travel companion jobs after a professor asked him to drive on a week-long trip. "That's when I realised you can actually make money by accompanying people on trips and driving for them," Tang said. He reports earning between 3,000 and 5,000 yuan a month from the side work. "Most of my clients are women and their core need is emotional value, someone who makes them feel good and makes the trip easy," he added.
The phenomenon highlights an intersection of social behaviour and the evolving service economy. Providers promise a combination of conversation, logistical help and emotional reassurance, packaging interpersonal time as a commodity. The result is an organised ecosystem of part-time providers and small companies offering bookable companionship across leisure and daily-life activities.
Given the lack of a central industry registry, the market-size estimate cited in state media provides one reference point for the scale of activity. What remains clear from interviews with providers and researchers is that demand is rising in urban China for services that reduce the unpredictability of social engagement while creating flexible earning opportunities for young workers.
Summary
Paid companionship services in China are growing into a sizable market as young people and urban residents increasingly seek predictable social interaction. The sector spans hiking guides, travel companions and paid dining partners, and is supplied mainly by students and gig workers. State media estimates the market could reach 500 billion yuan ($74 billion) in 2025, while official data show more than 200 million flexible workers in China.